1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a sealed connector and more particularly relates to a multiconductor sealed connector in which only a portion of the individual terminal positions need be occupied by a terminal attached to a wire.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Multiconductor waterproof or sealed electrical connectors often required for applications, such as automotive connectors. U.S. Pat. 3,937,545 discloses one multiconnector sealed connector having a single elastomeric or family seal located at the rear of the connector for establishing sealed integrity around a plurality of conductors. This connector also employs an interfacial seal between mating faces of a pair of electrical connectors. Lanceless terminals are used in each connector and are held in place by deflectable locking fingers. Insertable locking fingers or locking wedges can be inserted behind latching fingers on the mating face of each connector.
U.S. Pat. 4,621,883 discloses another connector also intended for establishing a interface between two wires. Here too, lanceless terminals are held in place in the connector by deflectable locking fingers on the respective housings. Individual wires are sealed by discrete seals and an interfacial seal is located at the mating face of the connector.
U.S. Pat. 4,684,190 shows still another sealed connector having a peripheral interfacial seal and employing locking combs insertable on a the side of the connectors to secure terminals in place. Discrete seals are also used around individual conductors.
U.S. Pat. 4,767,350 discloses a multiconductor sealed connector suitable for use in terminating a plurality of wires to a printed circuit board. This sealed connector uses stamped and formed pins in the pin header and employs both an interfacial seal and a single family seal having a plurality of holes each receiving a single wire. This connector does not employ a secondary lock.
None of these connectors provide a means for sealing all circuit paths when some of the conductors are not present in a single connector. U.S. Pat. 4,640,567 does disclose a sealed connector in which each individual circuit paths are separately sealed. This connector, however, requires the use of individual seals both for each wire and at the interface of each pair of mated terminals. Unlike the prior art, the instant invention includes means for sealing individual circuit paths of a multiconductor connector employing a family seal. This connector has a large number of positions located in a plurality of staggered rows. In the preferred embodiment if this invention three rows of terminals can be employed. For instance, this connector can be employed as a 25 position connector. However, not all applications with which this connector could be employed would require a terminal at each position. This connector employs means which permits the use of only a portion of the terminals and allows any arbitrary terminals position, at which a terminal is omitted, to be sealed.